This invention relates in general to educational devices and, in particular, to an educational aid for the teaching children the alphabet, numerical system and the like.
More specifically, but without restriction to the particular use which is shown and described, the invention relates to an educational learning aid having means to permit children to learn the alphabet or sequence of numbers in their proper chain order in an effective manner. The invention of the application includes a board-like housing having a plurality of openings in which a magnetized conforming letter or number may be inserted for education and enjoyment of the child.
In the past, countless techniques have been employed to teach children the alphabet, the numerical system and the like. It is advantageous for the child during his or her initial learning phase to learn the alphabet in its proper chain order of letters for an optimum understanding. It is common for the young to be taught the alphabet through sheer memorization, without any visual or mental conception as to where each letter exists in relation to the other letters in their proper sequence or order. Many of the prior art educational devices have attempted to display the alphabet in a visual form not only to permit the learning of the alphabet, but to provide the user a visualization the letters. However, these known methods of teaching the alphabet have been deficient, because they have not allowed the child to learn the alphabet in its proper chain, or in a manner to maintain his or her interest, the latter being an important objective for younger children.
One type of known alphabet learning system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,010,228 to Torre. In the Torre patent, the letters of the alphabet are arranged in their proper order on a board, and the letters can only be attached through alignment of magnets in the letter at its corresponding proper position. Such a teaching panel, as disclosed in the Torre patent, is ineffective in inducing the child to learn the alphabet in proper sequence, because of the relative complexity and difficulty of using the system. The letters of the alphabet of Torre only appear as squares before placement of the letter and thus do not provide any visualization of the letters to aid the young in their placement. Thus, the use of a complicated system, such as shown in the prior art Torre patent, only creates frustration in the child without encouraging him to place the letters in the proper sequence for superior learning results.